Crooked I ft. Eddy Fontane - Never Forget

For some rappers, keeping it one-hundred is a daily struggle. Crooked I, however, is to realness as a mic-rocking fish is to water. Tortured analogies aside, the Long Beach representative is Never gonna Forget where he came from—and, just in case anyone else needed a reminder, the emcee retraces his journey from ‘hood poverty to underground eminence on the latest leak off his forthcoming mixtape. Snaz’ sepia-toned 6/8 boardwork, centered around an eerily familiar soul sample (anyone ID it for me?) sets the mood for a trip down Memory Lane, rolling in the back as Crook paints a picture of his past that’s anything but rose-tinted. In between vivid snapshots from his days on the block, he ponders whether his brand of authenticity is even valued in the industry any longer: “I wanna make an album about my life, but in this industry who would wanna listen?” While I can’t speak for the listening public as a whole, his autobiographical rhymes are unlikely to fall upon deaf ears in the Booth. Complete with a smooth, self-confident chorus by ATL soul singer Eddy Fontane, this is just one of many true-to-life bangers to be found on the Slaughterhouse member’s L.A. Leakers-hosted Psalm 82.v6 tape, dropping June 19, and pre-orderable now via iTunes. In the meantime, fans can download Never Forget for free via Audiomack.